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Sewing Machine Tips: Determining Which Spool Pin You Should Use

Laura Stone Roberts
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Duration:   4  mins

Is your top sewing thread breaking too often? Are you getting tangles or knots in your top thread? One reason could be that you aren’t orienting your thread spool in the right direction. There’s a reason that sewing machines come with both vertical and horizontal spool pins. Join Laura Stone Roberts to learn the secret of why this is and learn how to determine for yourself which orientation to use with any given quilting project.

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11 Responses to “Sewing Machine Tips: Determining Which Spool Pin You Should Use”

  1. Michele Curtis

    Thank you for highlighting this issue! I thought I'd heard it somewhere when I was a brand new beginner, but I have asked about it in sewing shops and been looked at like I have three heads & was speaking Martian... My little mechanical machine only has a vertical pin, so I avoid those spools that are wound "crisscross" style (which I heard work best horizontally.)

  2. MJ Strong

    It would not play. The weight loss ad continued to play

  3. Gayle Mortimer

    </strong> Does it make a difference if the spool is H or V when winding the bobbin?

  4. Darlene

    Well, that was just excellent! Thank you so much. I had no clue 🤪 One other question I would love an answer to is those spool holders, or caps you put on over your spool? I’m Husqvarna Designer II came with large ones, and little ones, as seen on your machine. Is there a method to which of these to use? I had a little spool of Coats Polyester thread that kept bouncing on the peg and the thread would break, I tried a little one but couldn’t put the holder too close or the spool wouldn’t turn as smoothly. Any suggestions?

  5. Bernice

    Excellent tip, thank you. I have two Brother machines - one has vertical and the other has horizontal. Will be trying this next time I have a thread issue.

  6. DeeAnna

    GENIUS! thank you for showing this!

  7. Susan

    Thank you. It explained a lot to me. I have a machine now that has both Horizontal and Vertical THread holders. :-)

  8. Marlene

    This was very helpful. I've been sewing for years and did not know this about the different threads. So glad I watched this!

  9. susan

    brilliant !

  10. Linda

    I have always determined whether the thread was crosswound or stacked as to whether or not to use the horizontal or vertical pin. This article discusses this in depth. http://www.heirloomcreations.net/sewing-tips/cross-wound-thread-vs-stacked-thread/

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